Thirsty Teessiders will sup thousands of pints this bank holiday weekend - many oblivious of where their beer is from.

But as the popularity of the micro-pub continues to rise, so has the number of locals who appreciate a finely crafted local ale.

There’s plenty to choose from, with small breweries popping up across the region.

And David Dodd - who runs the Three Brothers brewery in Stockton alongside brother Kit and brother-in-law Chris Wright - explains how all of those pints of ale begin.

Just three ingredients

“Most beers are made with just three ingredients - malt, hops and water,” said David at the Three Brothers base, a former car showroom which has been turned into a brewery almost entirely by hand, off Bowesfield Lane.

“We have 26 different varieties of malt here. Most of the malt in beer, about 90%, is base malt which provides sweetness. Then the rest is called adjunct malt. The balance of that, and the variety, decide the flavour. Some are sweeter, some are more bitter, and control the alcohol content.”

More than 3,000 pints

(Image: Evening Gazette)

The malt is then ‘mashed’ with water in two containers before being moved on to smaller containers. One focuses on special custom recipes or experimental brews and can hold around 450 pints, the other brews Three Brothers’ core ranges - and can hold around 3,150 pints.

“Experimental brews go to pubs all over, around Teesside and as far down as Leeds,” said David, 31.

“We’ve currently got Peanut Butter Milk Stout which went to Bottled Note in Middlesbrough, we’ve had a Rhubarb and Ginger Golden Ale and a 7.2% Passion Fruit IPA. And we do our monthly specials as well.”

Read More

The concentrated, sugary liquid drips from the bottom of these vats and the malt is then washed to bring a more diluted liquid to be mixed in. Together, if the recipes followed are correct, it should be perfect and is then pumped up into a larger copper cauldron to be rapidly boiled.

Hops are added

The Three Brothers Brewing Company (Image: Evening Gazette)

Hops are then added to the mix - some locally grown but others from various countries from around the world - and they really change the flavour.

Some are known as “bittering hops” and they, unsurprisingly, control how bitter the beer will end up.

“For our ‘Ex Wife’ we want it bitter, but for the Honeysuckle Smash Golden Ale we want it less so,” said David, who along with his brother grew up in Eaglescliffe and went to Eaglescliffe School.

“The next is the ‘aroma hops’, and these have a big impact on the final flavour. Imagine a pint of IPA - that’s from the citra hop and is incredibly popular in America at the minute. Very strong. There’s a third type, dry hopping, but we don’t use that as much. I can’t tell you much more - because then we’re getting into our recipes!”

Fermentation - controlled by your phone

Yeast is then added to the beer, which ferments and creates alcohol.

Huge fermentation tanks literally bubble away, and are controlled remotely - by a laptop or even the brothers’ mobile phone - to make sure the optimum temperature is maintained.